In the meantime, I have plunged ahead with my efforts to help Hunting Report subscribers find legal help with their claims against South African hunting companies and individual PHs. This marks the first time I have seen the need for this kind of action anywhere in the world. In coming weeks, I plan to direct two subscribers to a regional legal coordinator, who has pledged to help aggrieved hunters find local attorneys with the expertise and connections to get things done. Stay tuned for an update on how this works out.
Anyone planning to hunt in South Africa this coming year needs to be aware that leopard hunts there are particularly problematic. More precisely, it is the export of leopard trophies afterward that is problematic. As I have told you before, some South African PHs are offering leopard hunts they do not have CITES export papers for. Right now, I know of two Hunting Report subscribers who are being given the run-around about their leopard trophies. The bottom line in both these cases is, the PHs clearly did not have export permits for those cats. It is unlikely either subscriber will ever see his leopard, despite a roguish offer by one of the South African PH's to smuggle the cat through Zambia, using a permit from that country's quota.
With the hunting conventions in full swing - note this warning: Do not buy a leopard hunt in South Africa unless you are sure a CITES export permit exists for the export of your trophy. Agents representing South African hunting companies need to take this warning to heart as........(continued)
